The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’: Nationality as the Basis of the 1919 International Legal Order

In 1851, in his famous lecture Della nazionalità come fondamento del diritto delle genti, the Italian jurist Pasquale Stanislao Mancini (1817-1888) formulated the so-called ‘dogma of the Independence of Nations’ – a fundamental principle of the political ideologies of the Risorgimento. In it, he def...

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Main Author: Francesca Zantedeschi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Peristyle 2020-06-01
Series:Studies on National Movements
Subjects:
Online Access:https://openjournals.ugent.be/snm/article/id/85361/
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author Francesca Zantedeschi
author_facet Francesca Zantedeschi
author_sort Francesca Zantedeschi
collection DOAJ
description In 1851, in his famous lecture Della nazionalità come fondamento del diritto delle genti, the Italian jurist Pasquale Stanislao Mancini (1817-1888) formulated the so-called ‘dogma of the Independence of Nations’ – a fundamental principle of the political ideologies of the Risorgimento. In it, he defined nationality as ‘a natural society of individuals’ based on ‘unity of territory, origins, habits and language, and conformed to a commonality of life and social conscience.’ Although he is well known among scholars of international law, Mancini is far less known among historians. Yet his ‘dogma of the independence of nations’ proved to be fundamental during the 1919 Peace Treaties, when the rights of nationality became the criterion redesigning the map of Europe – nationality being officially attached to the promise of self-determination by President Woodrow Wilson. This article intends to present the principle of nationality advocated by Mancini and how it became the basis of relations between states in international law in the second half of the nineteenth century. It also aims to analyse how the principle of nationality was transposed, formulated and interpreted in the 1919 Peace Treaties to support the rights of national minorities.
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spelling doaj.art-1a87328822c9414fb30199ba0e44e28a2023-02-07T07:46:35ZengPeristyleStudies on National Movements2295-14662020-06-015110.21825/snm.85361The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’: Nationality as the Basis of the 1919 International Legal OrderFrancesca ZantedeschiIn 1851, in his famous lecture Della nazionalità come fondamento del diritto delle genti, the Italian jurist Pasquale Stanislao Mancini (1817-1888) formulated the so-called ‘dogma of the Independence of Nations’ – a fundamental principle of the political ideologies of the Risorgimento. In it, he defined nationality as ‘a natural society of individuals’ based on ‘unity of territory, origins, habits and language, and conformed to a commonality of life and social conscience.’ Although he is well known among scholars of international law, Mancini is far less known among historians. Yet his ‘dogma of the independence of nations’ proved to be fundamental during the 1919 Peace Treaties, when the rights of nationality became the criterion redesigning the map of Europe – nationality being officially attached to the promise of self-determination by President Woodrow Wilson. This article intends to present the principle of nationality advocated by Mancini and how it became the basis of relations between states in international law in the second half of the nineteenth century. It also aims to analyse how the principle of nationality was transposed, formulated and interpreted in the 1919 Peace Treaties to support the rights of national minorities.https://openjournals.ugent.be/snm/article/id/85361/NationalityPasquale Stanislao Mancini1919 Peace Treatiesnational self-determinationWoodrow Wilsonself-determination
spellingShingle Francesca Zantedeschi
The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’: Nationality as the Basis of the 1919 International Legal Order
Studies on National Movements
Nationality
Pasquale Stanislao Mancini
1919 Peace Treaties
national self-determination
Woodrow Wilson
self-determination
title The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’: Nationality as the Basis of the 1919 International Legal Order
title_full The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’: Nationality as the Basis of the 1919 International Legal Order
title_fullStr The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’: Nationality as the Basis of the 1919 International Legal Order
title_full_unstemmed The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’: Nationality as the Basis of the 1919 International Legal Order
title_short The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’: Nationality as the Basis of the 1919 International Legal Order
title_sort dogma of the independence of nations nationality as the basis of the 1919 international legal order
topic Nationality
Pasquale Stanislao Mancini
1919 Peace Treaties
national self-determination
Woodrow Wilson
self-determination
url https://openjournals.ugent.be/snm/article/id/85361/
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